Fenders are a common component of vehicles and provide protection against mud, rocks, and other road spray and debris from being thrown into the air by the rotating tires. Front and rear fenders are typically stamped and include an integrally formed flange running along the fender for attachment to a vehicle's front end structure (e.g., a fender support rail). A fender 10 may accommodate direct attachment between a fender flange 12 and a vehicle front end structure 14 as shown in FIG. 1, or a fender 10′ may require local brackets (e.g., bracket 16) to bridge a gap (G1) between a fender flange 12′ and the front end structure 14 as shown in FIG. 2. The manner in which the fender is attached depends on the shape of the fender which shape varies from one vehicle model to another.
Given the difference in fender shapes from one vehicle model to another, the local brackets are typically each uniquely designed. This necessarily results in increased overall cost attributable to bracket design, fabrication and installation costs. Even more, the utilization of local brackets (e.g., bracket 18) to secure the fender 10′, as shown in FIG. 3, creates a visually undesirable gap (G2) between the front end structure 14 and the fender 10′ within an engine compartment.
Yet another drawback to utilization of local brackets is the elevation of the point where the local bracket attaches to the fender. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the attachment points are a distance (D1 and D2) below a hood 20 of the vehicle which positioning creates a hard point closer to an exterior surface of the hood than if the fender flange 12′ were attached directly to the front end structure 14 as shown in FIG. 1. In other words, distance D is greater than either distance D1 or D2(D>D1>D2).
Such hard points have been limited in recent years due to a focus by manufacturers on vehicle designs which are more pedestrian friendly in the event of pedestrian vehicle collisions. In fact, hood and engine compartment designs have received many subtle changes to ensure easy collapse when impacted by a pedestrian such that a vast majority of vehicles sold today have design elements intended to soften the impact on pedestrians in such collisions. One such design element is an increase in deformable space between the hood and the engine. The creation of hard points through utilization of local brackets is obviously contrary to the recent improvements and reduces the protection for pedestrians in the event of vehicle pedestrian collisions.
Accordingly, a need exists for a simple and inexpensive way to attach fenders having different shapes to a common front end of a vehicle. Ideally, the solution would accommodate the different fender shapes of differing vehicle models allowing for a higher level of craftsmanship for the fenders. Even more, the solution would eliminate the need for local bracketing and unsightly gaps often created by their utilization. Last, the solution would ensure that the point of attachment would be adjacent the common front end providing a safer vehicle in the event of vehicle pedestrian collisions.